Anthony Albanese has encouraged his countrymen and women to ‘buy Australian’ in retaliation against Donald Trump‘s punitive steel and aluminium tariffs.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed on Wednesday morning that Australia would not be exempt from the 25 per cent tariffs – as it had been during Trump’s first term.
The Prime Minister ruled out imposing ‘revenge’ tariffs on the US because he claimed they were a form of ‘economic self-harm’ that was ultimately ‘paid for by the consumers’.
But he did suggest a novel way in which Australians could fight back – and called on them to ‘back Team Australia’.
‘One of the things that we can do is to buy Australian. Australians can have an impact by buying Australian goods,’ Mr Albanese told ABC Melbourne.
‘You buy Bundy [Bundaberg] soft drinks rather than some of the American products, you can make those decisions and buy Australian, but we will continue to put forward our strong case for an exemption.’
The family-owned Bundaberg Brewed Drinks is one of Australia’s most recognisable soft drink brands, exporting to 60 countries across the world.
Anthony Albanese has encouraged his countrymen and women to ‘buy Australian’ in retaliation against Donald Trump ‘s punitive steel and aluminium tariffs
The family-owned Bundaberg Brewed Drinks is one of Australia’s most recognisable soft drink brands, exporting to 60 countries across the world
Mr Albanese later told 3AW that his administration was driving an agenda around ‘our economic resilience and making more things here in Australia‘.
‘What we need to do at times like this is have everyone back Team Australia,’ he said.
Although Mr Albanese stopped short of calling for a boycott of US goods like those seen in Canada, he did hint that the ‘Buy Australian’ idea might feature in the upcoming budget on March 25.
‘Part of our budget will provide additional support for our Buy Australian campaign,’ he told ABC Sydney on Thursday morning.
‘I would urge Australians, if they’re in a local shop, to look to buy Australian – that’s the one way that consumers can assist to create jobs here and support our local industries.’
Mr Albanese’s vague reference to US soft drinks in his ‘Buy Australian’ plea may have been a nod to one of Trump’s most favourite drinks: Diet Coke.
The US President reportedly drinks up to 12 cans a day and even had a special button installed in the Oval Office during his first-term to order them.
It emerged yesterday that Mr Albanese had failed to secure a second phone call with Trump following a ”highly constructive’ call with the US President last month.
The US President reportedly drinks up to 12 cans of diet coke day and even had a special button installed in the Oval Office during his first-term to order them
‘We will advocate for Australian trade at every level and through every channel. We will continue to work for a different outcome and discussions with the Trump administration are ongoing,’ he told reporters on Wednesday.
Mr Albanese said that steel and aluminium exports represented just ‘0.2 per cent of all Australian exports’.
‘Neither is in the top ten per cent of what Australia sells to the United States,’ he said.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said if he is elected Prime Minister he would call Trump and ‘get a deal done’.
‘We’ll make sure that we can protect jobs and protect industry because otherwise Australians are the ones who are going to lose out under Mr Albanese’s inability to do the right thing and to achieve the outcome that our country needs,’ he said.